Laundry press



April 22, 1941. R. WILSON LAUNDRY PRESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1940 111 unll l R. WILSON LAUNDRY PRESS Ap il 22, 1941.

Filed June 5, 19

4 Shets-Sheet 2 April 22, 1941. w so 2,239,476

LAUNDRY PRESS Filed June 5, 1940 4 Sheeis-5heet 5 April 22, 1941. R. WILSON LAUNDRY PRESS Filed June 5, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 22, 1941 LAUNDRY PRE S S 7 Robert Wilson, Clydebank, Scotland, assignor to .D. & J. Tullis Limited, Clydebank, Scotland, 2. company'of Great Britain Application June 5, 1940, Serial No. 338,945 In Great Britain March 30, 1939 I'Claiin. (o 192-433) This invention relates to improvements in fluid-pressure-operated laundry presses oi the type including a stationary lower pressingtable member and a co-operative swinging upper pressing member or head which is adapted to be lowered on to the table member under the action of a fluid-pressure motor.

Existing power-operated laundry presses of the type'in question usually incorporate what is known as a two-hand control device, which is a safeguard against accident only so long as a press is attended by one operative, and which becomes ineffective when the press is operated by two operatives, as happens often inpractice.

The present invention has for an object to provide an improved safety guard arrangement which is so devised that the operative or operatives is or are protected against mishap notwithstanding the mode of control provided for the press.

A safety guard according to the invention includes a safety guard member proper skirting and depending from the'swinging. pressing head and movable with said head in the normal operation of the press, a lever structure to which said guard member is attachedv and which is mounted for rocking movement relatively to the head on a pivot which swings with the head, and valve means :communicating with the fluid-pressure motor and so operatively connected to said lever structure that movement of the guard member relatively to the head permits pressure fluid to exhaust from the motor.

As will be understood, the construction is such that, in the event of the guard member contacting withan obstacle in the descent of the head, the guard member will be displaced relatively to the head and will thus render the fluid-pressure motor inoperative.

The lever structure is preferably pivoted on the main swinging arm, i. e., the swinging arm which carries the pressing head. Movable with the lever structure about the pivot is an arm provided, for co-operation with a valve control element of the valve means, "with an arcuate portion f which the centre of curvature is coincident with the axis of swing of the head, whereby, in the normal operation of the press, the arcuate portion is without influence on the valve control element.

For the purpose of retaining the valve control element in exhaust-open position after displacement of the guard member, there is associated with the valve control elementa spring-urged endwise movable stop adapted to be retracted manually from operative position.

Wh'enthe pressing head is lowered into operative: position the lower portion of the guard member surrounds and is spaced from the periphery of the pressing table member.

In operation, should ahand or limb of an operative be interposed between the descending pressing headand the pressing table member, the guard-carrying lever structure is rocked relatively to the head and, before the hand or limb suffers injury, pressure fluid is permitted to exhaust from the motor, and the head is restored to inoperative position by spring or, other restoring means, and remains in inoperative position until the stop is retracted to inoperative position. A safety guard for a fluid-pressure-operated laundry press, according to the invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1,1 and 1 are fragmentary side elevational views which together constitute a side elevation of the press, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the rear portion of the press, Fig. 1 being a partside elevation part vertical section of the central-portion of the press, and Fig. l being a partside elevation part vertical section of the front portion of the press. Fig. 2 is a plan View of a control levershown in Fig. 1 Figs. 3-5 are detail "views of the control valve of the-press, drawn to a larger scale, Fig. 3 being a part elevation part vertical section, Fig. 4 an elevation at right angles to Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a plan view.

The laundry press shown includes a stationary lower pressing table member I and a co-operative swinging upper pressing member or head 2 which is adapted to be lowered on to the table member I under power exercised by a fluid pressure (compressedair) motor indicated generally at 3.

Skirting and depending from the head 2 is a guard member 4 attached to alever structure 5 pivotally mounted at 6 on the main swinging arm I which carriesthe head 2 and which is fulcrumed at 8 on the frame 9 of the press. The pivot 6 consists of a short spindle to which the lever structure Sis secured and to which is also secured an arm l0 terminating in an arcuate palm H of which the axis of curvature is coincident with the axis of the fulcrum 8. 'Pivotally mounted at l2 on a bracket I3 fixed to the frame 9 is a three-armed valve control rock lever having arms [4, l5 and I6, respectively. Adjustably secured in the arm I4 is a pin l1 adapted for engagement by the palm H, the curvature of which latter ensures that the arm I!) is without influence on the lever l4, l5, It in the normal operation'of the press. The arm I5 is bifurcated to' straddle a spring-urged valve-loading plunger I8 of a control valve hereinafter referred to, and engages the underside of a washer l9 secured on the plunger Hi. The arm I6 carries a depending pin 20 which is engageable with a spring-urged manually controllable stop 2|. The control valve (Figs. 3-5) comprise a valve chest 22 unitary with the bracket l3 and accommodating an inlet valve element 23 and an exhaust valve element 24 connected to the valve element 23 by a stem 25, the valve elements being provided with guide heads 23, 24', respectively. 26 denotes the compressed airinlet branch of the valve chest 22. 2! denotes the conduit leading from the chest 22 to the motor 3, and 28 denotes the outlet from the chest 22 to an exhaust silencer 29. A coil spring 30 acts on the Valve element assembly 23, 24, 25 in th direction to urge the valve element 23 towards its seat, and the valve element 24 away from its seat. The plunger I8 is guided for endwise movement in a valve chest cover 3|, and terminates at its lower end in a flange 32 which is engageable with the guide head 24' under the action of a spring 33 acting downwardly on the plunger I8. The stop 2| is constituted by a plunger mounted for endwise movement in lugs 34 of the chest 22 and urged upwardly by a spring 35. The arm l4 of the lever I4, I5, l6 and the stop 2| are operatively connected by means of flexible cables 36, 31, respectively, with a manually operable lever 38 pivotally mounted at 39 on the front of the press and unitary with diametrally opposed arms 40, 4| to which are attached the cables 35, 31, respectively.

When the head 2 is in raised or inoperative position, the control valve elements 23, 24 are maintained in shut and open position, respectively, by the spring 30, the plunger l8 being restrained in inoperative position by the engagement of the pin 20 with the stop 2 I, which latter projects upwardly in front of th pin 20. When, however, the lever 38 is rocked in the direction to retract the stop 2|, the lever |4, |5, I6 is freed and the plunger I8 depresses the control valve assembly 23-25, thus opening the inlet valve element 23 and closing the exhaust valve element 24. Compressed air is thus admitted to the motor 3 which functions and causes the head 2 to descend into forcible engagement with the table member On release of the lever 38, the stop 2| is held in depressed or retracted position by the pin 20, which, in the retraction of the stop 2|, moved into interfering relation with the stop 2|, as shown in Fig. 3. In order to cause the head 2 to reopen, the lever 38 is rocked in the opposite direction, whereby the lever l4, l5, I6 is rocked reversely; the stop 2| being released by the pin 20 rises into operative position in front of the .pin 20 by the action of the spring 35; the control valve assembly 23-25 is relieved-of the pressure of the plunger I8, the inlet and exhaust valve elements 23, 24 move to shut and open position, respectively; the motor 3 exhausts to atmosphere; and the head 2 rises to inoperative position under the action of return springs 42 connected to the arm 1.

In the operation of the press, should a hand or a limb of an operative be interposed between the descending head 2 and the table member the guard member 4 is displaced upwardly relatively to the head 2, and, before the hand or limb suffers injury, the arm' l0 rocks the lever 4, l5, l6 and lifts the plunger |8 in opposition to the action of the spring 33, thus permitting the inlet and exhaust valve elements 23, 24 to close and to open, respectively, so that the motor 3 exhausts and the head 2 is restored to inoperative position by the springs 42. It will be understood that, when the valve element 23 is open and when the lever I4, l5, I6 is rocked in the direction to connect the motor to exhaust, the stop 2| is released by the pin 20 and rises in front of the pin 20 under the action of the spring 35 and thus retains the lever l4, I5, I6 in exhaust position.

The lever structure 5 is provided, at the front of press, with a handle 43 by means of which the guard member 4 may be manipulated to cause opening of the head 2, independently of the lever 38.

I claim:.

In a laundry press comprising a stationary lower pressing table member and a co-operative swinging upper pressing member adapted to be lowered on to said table member, in combination with a fluid pressure motor having an inlet and an exhaustoperative to depress said upper pressing member, spring means for elevating said upper pressing member when the exhaust from said motor is open, a safety guard member skirting and depending from said upper pressing member and movable with said upper pressing member in the normal operation of the press, a .pivot which swings with said upper pressing member, a lever structure to which said guard member is attached and which is mounted on said pivot for rocking movement relatively to said upper pressing member, an arm movabl angularly about the axis of said pivot with said lever structure and presenting an arcuate portion of which the centre of curvature is coincident with the axis of swing of said upper pressing member, valve means controlling the admission to and exhaust from said motor and operatively connected to said lever structure, said valve means including a valve-loading plunger, a control element for said valve means, and a spring-urged manually controllable stop adapted to retain said control element in the position corresponding to the exhaust-open position of said valve means after displacement of said guard member, said control element consisting of a manually rockable three-armed lever having an arm engageable by said arcuate portion, an arm engaging said valve-loading plunger, and an arm co-operating With said stop.

- ROBERT WILSON. 

